Automatic apparatus for shop windows



Oct. 11, 1932.

F, J. M. PRODHOMME 1,881,938

AUTOMATIC APPARATUS FOR SHOP WINDOWS Filed Sept. 16, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.1.

Oct. 11, 1932. F. J. M. PRODHOMME AUTOMATIC APPARATUS FOR SHOP WINDOWS Filed Sept. 16. 1930' 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig; 5.

H II W 1 windows where it will be in use an animation Patented Oct. .11, 1932 (UNITED stares earg w FELIX zrosnr'n MARIE ,r'RoDHoMnn-jor Penis, FRANCE,

AUTOMATIC APrARA'rUsroR snot wmnows 7 Application filed September 16, 1930, Serial; No 432,301, and iii France se tember21','i929.

The present invention has for object an automatic apparatus for shop windows and, generally speaking, this apparatus can be appliedto installations for advertisingand exhibiting purposes and for attractions for fairs. i a 7 As can be seen, articles in stores are always, with a few exceptions, presented to passersby in the same manner, that is to say laid on glass plates or on accessories where they remain fixed, more or less within sight of eventual buyers who often, seeing them in an unsatisfactory manner, and always in the same position and in the same direction, do not immediately appreciate the advantages of the said articles. 7

This invention is adapted to remedy the above mentioned inconveniences and it has for object an apparatus receiving special movements of rotation giving to the shop constituting for the clients an attraction which will incite them to stop longer and more frequently in front of shop windows and will allow the users of this apparatus, by the very factof its arrangement specially devised for certain categories of articles, to

put in show a greater number of objects, to

continuously vary (owing to the continuous or intermittent circular movement, whether it be vertical, oblique or horizontal, but always slow, attributed according to its destination to each type of apparatus) the presentation of the said articles, whilst bringing them automatically nearer the public as they pass and showing them from different sides.

Concerning the displaying devices, up to this day, use has only been made of devices in the shape of round plates rotating hori zontally flatwise, or of endlessmovable bands or aprons rotating obliquely or parallel to the floor of the shop window, passing sometimes above, sometimes underneath, th s resulting in the serious inconvenience that light articles or articles of very small height can up side down.

. FigsQQ, 3, larged elevational views partly 1 H'SQClJlDI'I ,0 15

it is indispensable to carefully secure them owing to the fact that, when passing underneath the floor of the shop window, theyfare only beplaced on these bands oraprons, since er, the nature of which will be determined by the importance of the said apparatus and in relation to the I total weight of the articles a it will be adapted to support and of the great er or less; spaceavailable. forrplacingf the apparatus supplying the power. A i V L In the ority of cases,the said apparatus will be actuated by electricity. 1

A This invention will be; described-hereinafter, by way of example, with reference to the "accompanying diagrammatic drawings,

in which: Fig. his

a front view of one form -of the apparatus t nd fi he e pe l r irmodified roller supports, n

F 1g. 6 is an end view of the apparatus ;as shown in Fig. 1, and 1 i Fig. 7 's a plan view of thesaine app-arat s.

v The apparatus is constituted bysix ver tical frames 29 arrangeclin a rectangle =01] the floor 30 or. the shop window, :and coniiected by three horizontal cross members 31- On theseframes are secured three'horiz'ontal circular endless rails 32, surrounding the six frames, the greatest length of these frails forming a straight line 33, and the end -3a being curved for allowing to efl'ect theturns.v

. The apparatus is started. by a bevel gear 35 actuating a vertical shaft 36 securedto the v frames and to the rail, at points,37 and 38, two toothed horizontal wheels 39 and 40. being mounted on the said shaft 36.

second vertical shaftdl, similar to shaft i a 36, but without bevel gear, rigidly carries two toothed wheels 42 and 43.

The'wheels 39' and 42, andthe wheels 43, are respectively connected one to the other by a chain (or by a cable or belt, etc. 45 V and 46. p c

On each of these chains are attached, at

I points 4748, several rods 49 (ten in the example under consideration) extending from the upper rail to the lower rail.

These rods are connected to rollers 50 respectiv'ely'. running on the corresponding V the shop window In addition to occupying less room in rails, and the same istrue for-the nine other rods.

Oneachof these rods, at points 47 and 48, or slightly below, are mounted yokes 15 adapted to support the shelves 16v on which depth, thisapparatus has, by its special arrangement,theadvantage of allowing to see the displayed articleson all their sides, from thefront,'-fr om the side, and from the back, each shelf showing the articles from one side,

then from the opposite side.

' The rails 32 can be grooved (Fig. 2), or

they can be in the shape of a knife blade, or of a cable (Fig. 3), they can be suspended,

tical rods connected in a detachable manner to the rollers, article carrying supports sus- V pended so that they project laterally from the rods, means mounted on the frame and connected to the rods causing the rods to move around the frame, and means for op: erating said moving means;

.2. An automatic apparatus as claimed in claimcl, wherein the means mounted on the frame for moving the rods includes vertical shafts, sprocket wheels mounted on the shafts,

endless flexible elements operating about the sprocket wheels and having connected thereto at suitable spaced intervals the rods.

. 3. An automatic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the support includes in combination with'the floor of a'shop window,

a pluralityg'of vertical membersand trans- 1 versecross bars arranged at the upper ends thereof, and wherein the rails are connected on the outer sides of the vertical members near the top and bottom and at the middle thereof.

The foregoing specification matic apparatus for shop windows signed by me this 3rd day of September 1980.

in two parts, rail and'guard rail, the roller runn ng; between the rails (Fig. 4), or suspended, also in two parts, the roller inside, in theshape of a ball, with ball bearings inside (Flg. 5). 1

-Although theinvention has been described of my Auto:

FELIX JOSEPH MARIE PRODHOMME.

above only in its application to the manu facture'of automaticapparatus and devices for shop windows, it is to be understood that it can be applied to the manufacture of systems of special installations based on the I principlesand mechanisms above mentioned, adapted tobe used for advertising purposes and for constituting attractions for fairs, or

I any other uses; the nature, details, shape and 5 dimensions of theelements entering in the constitution of these various installations can obviously be modified according to the destination of the said installations, without departing thereby from the principle of the invention.

l Having thusfully described the invention what is claimed as new and "desired to be secured Letters Patent is 1. An automaticapparatus :for shop windows fordisplaying articles to the public ineluding a supporting frame, endless hori-v V 'zontal rails thereon, rollers on the rails, veriac 

